1. Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to pre-boot authentication and more particularly relates to using a cryptographic processor to perform pre-boot authentication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pre-boot authentication can be an extension of the boot interface and may serve as a trusted authentication layer outside the operating system, essentially creating a tamper-proof environment. Pre-boot authentication may prevent a user from reading anything from a disk drive, such as the operating system, until the user confirms his/her identity by providing the correct credentials, such as a password.
Using passwords, however, may introduce a weakness to the secure environment created by the pre-boot authentication layer because passwords are easily forgotten or misappropriated. An entire system may become compromised when a password is inappropriately placed in the open.